Whale Scientist Stories

Whale Scientists Story — Clare Andvik 

Clare Andvik is a marine mammal toxicologist and PhD student studying pollution effects on Norwegian orcas at the University of Oslo. Despite initially studying Philosophy due to discouragement from teachers and working unrelated jobs, a passion for marine biology led her to Norway, where she began a biology degree and later interned at the Norwegian Orca Survey. Ultimately her master’s thesis focused on pollutant levels in orcas correlated with their diet. Juggling parenthood and her career, Clare advocates for normalized parenthood within academia. Her present focus lies in publishing more research papers while expecting her second child.

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Whale Scientists Story — Joëlle De Weerdt

Joëlle De Weerdt is a 35-year-old Belgian marine mammalogist currently doing her PhD in Nicaragua on humpback whales. She developed her own NGO in Nicaragua and funded her own PhD research! Here is her story… Joëlle’s education I completed my studies in 5 years (3 years bachelor’s + 2 years master’s). I did my master’s

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Whale Scientists Story – Agathe Serres

Agathe Serres is a 29 years old French postdoctoral marine mammalogist currently conducting research in China. She tells us how she traveled from France to China, following her passion for dolphins. She also tells us about how she used her good adaptation skills to learn mandarin and start a new life dedicated to the conservation

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Whale Scientists Story – Jasmin Groß

Jasmin Groß is a 33-year-old german postdoctorate research fellow. She works on humpback whale ecology at the Helmholtz Institut for Functional Marine Biodiversity, in Oldenburg, Germany. Jasmin’s education took her around the world I completed my studies at seven different universities all around the world. I did a gap year in the USA after high

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Whale Scientists Story – Erica Wirth

Erica Wirth is a 26-year-old American naturalist and captain working in California. She also is the founder of a successful podcast, Breaching Extinction. Here is her story. Erica earned a dual degree in Environmental Studies and Psychology I attended Eckerd College, earning a dual degree in 3.5 years. Eckerd was my dream college, and I

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Whale Scientists Story – Enrico Corsi

Enrico Corsi is a 29-year-old Italian marine mammalogist. He is currently doing his PhD in the Marine Conservation Ecology Lab at Florida International University in Miami. Here is his story. A fascination for the living world I was always fascinated by the life sciences as far back as I could remember. I was that 90s

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Whale Scientists Story – Francesca Soster

Francesca Soster is a 36-year-old Italian whale scientist, currently working as a researcher on bottlenose dolphins in Malta. Here is her story… Francesca’s story started in the textile industry I studied Textile Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin. I have completed a Master’s Degree in Nobel Fibres, a specialized path in fabrics and clothing

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Whale Scientists Story: Stefano Bellomo

Stefano Bellomo is a 32-year-old Italian whale scientist currently working as a marine mammal observer and a social media manager for the Jonian Dolphin Conservation. Here is his story. Stefano’s education at the University of Bari I studied both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental biology at the University of Bari, my city. I wanted

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Whale Scientists Story: Leanne Rosser

Leanne Rosser is a 30-year-old British marine mammalogist currently studying the behavior of Pacific white-sided dolphins in Japan. Here is her story. From music to English literature I had a slightly longer journey than most. Throughout the majority of high school, I wanted to become a classical pianist. Music was my first love before dolphins

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Whale Scientists Story: Jeroen Hoekendijk

Jeroen Hoekendijk is a 33 years-old Dutch marine mammalogist currently working on his PhD on marine wildlife detection using aerial and satellite imagery. Here is his story. It all started with an orca encounter in Canada I’ve always been fascinated by the sea, the oceans, and everything inside it, but I never considered making a

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